Turkey has filed a lawsuit in the Supreme Court over a case involving President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's bodyguards's attack on peaceful Kurdish protesters in Washington in 2017.
In a joint statement submitted to the federal district court in Washington, D.C., the US Department of Justice, the State Department and the special services for the protection of the President and other US and foreign officials of the head of the Turkish state do not meet the criteria of immunity provided by the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA).
The incidents erupted during President Erdogan's official visit to the US capital, when security men violently beat protesters in Sheridan Square and then became embroiled in clashes with Secret Service personnel outside the Turkish embassy.
This footage appears to show Turkish President Erdogan witnessing his bodyguards fighting with protesters in Washington. pic.twitter.com/ALWK7cv6eM
- Channel 4 News (@ Channel4News) May 19, 2017
At first instance, a Washington court ruled that the immunity criteria were not met. The Turkish side, however, appealed, arguing that the specific actions were taken for reasons of security of the Turkish President.
Given that a foreign government was involved in the case, the judges sought the opinion of the three relevant government departments (Ministry of Justice, State Department, Secret Service). Their opinion concluded that the acts in question were not carried out for the protection of the Turkish president and therefore the bodyguards do not have the immunity provided by law.
Source: RES-EAP